Has 2020 been your stark reality to live a fuller and more inspired life?
The near-death experience that taught me the value of life.
My wakeup call
Thousands of burning balls of gas burn brightly in the sky, appearing only as small pinprick dots of light to the eye, spread across a dark night’s canvas. I am lying uncomfortably on my camp bed, staring up at the stars as they gently remind me of my tiny existence here on planet earth.
Today I had been lying on a rooftop alone, pinned down by an enemy marksman as he accurately fired at my position. I was providing security, keeping watch while my troop could gain their breath in the courtyard below when he opened up. His ferocious bursts were coming from a hole in the wall called a ‘murder hole’, and no matter how much I fired back, I could not hit him. His accurate shooting pinned me to the roof, and I couldn’t get off, feeling trapped and awaiting the final shot that would end me.
I am reflecting. Today I had almost lost my life in the heart of the green zone, Afghanistan. Staring up at the night sky, the twinkling lights remind me of home and how far away it is. I’m processing, considering everything that would have been affected had I been hit. My family. My fiancé. My accomplishments. My ambitions. Even my regrets. The near-death experience had sprung a stark reality check upon me, demonstrating the fragility of my life and what I deem as important, and what I don’t.
During the moment, I say to myself, “If I get home from this hell hole, I’m going to do things differently in my life.”
Today
There isn’t a day that passes where I don’t reflect on that moment. Though my time as a Royal Marine was fraught with hair raising, life-altering situations, nothing comes close to the experience I had with the Taliban marksman. In a very strange way, I thank him for the valuable lesson he gave me that day: the lesson of acknowledging my life, and what is important to me.
For many of us, Covid-19 has and continues to be an extremely difficult and adverse period. Homes, jobs, families, and lives have been devastated by the pandemic. And still, even as I write this now, we are living through it with bated breath to see what will greet us next.
But what can we take from this awful situation that may add a positive perspective into our lives?
I want you to reflect on your life before the pandemic, and consider what you were valuing and what you were not. I have had the fortunate experience of working with thousands of people throughout this year, and it has been rewarding to hear how people’s different reflections are becoming more and more humbling.
“I was taking life too seriously and I am going to chillout a bit more.”
“I have learnt to concentrate more on my family, and less on work.”
“My health is now my number one focus. Something I have always put off.”
“I finally took the leap into a role I have been so nervous about applying for. AND I GOT IT!”
These are but a handful of the hundreds of messages and comments I have read and heard, and it all stems from people simply waking up! Most of us can admit (myself included) that we are all guilty of focusing on the things that do not matter as much to us, compared to the things that we really should concentrate on. Ironically, it sometimes takes a Taliban marksman or a global pandemic to wake us up.
So, what’s next for you?
There is no telling when this will all end, and it is clear we still have some time before it will pass. But there is now immense opportunity to steer your future in a direction that inspires you, as opposed to what it may have been like before.
Take ten minutes today to sit back and have your ‘stare at the stars moment.’ Whether you actually look up at the stars or not is up to you, but give yourself time to reflect. Consider the things you may have been overvaluing before the crisis and zoom in on those areas of your life you may have been neglecting. Family? Health? Opportunity? Freedom? Even you?
I would like you to pick out what truly inspires you and direct it towards where you may take yourself in 2021 and beyond. What is going to be different for you? What are you going to put down? And what are you going to pick up?
This is your time now. Use the adversity you have experienced to drive forward a more fulfilled and inspired life.
So, let me ask you this: what does 2021 now look like for you?
